This list includes 39 Suffixes that start with O, from “-nomic” to “-oxide”. They range from productive modern endings to historical or specialized forms used in science and the humanities. You can use them for word formation, vocabulary study, and editing.
Suffixes that start with O are bound endings attached to stems to form nouns, adjectives, or technical terms. For example, “-nomy” comes from Greek and appears in many discipline names like “economy” and “astronomy.”
Below you’ll find the table with origin, meaning and example words.
Origin: Shows the language or historical period where the suffix comes from, helping you judge formality and etymology.
Meaning: Explains the core sense or function of the suffix in a short phrase, helping you interpret new words quickly.
Example words: Lists two to four words that use the suffix, so you see real usage and register at a glance.
Suffixes that start with O
| Suffix | Origin | Meaning | Example words |
|---|---|---|---|
| –ous | Latin (Late Latin) | full of; having the quality of | dangerous, glorious, nervous, spacious |
| –oid | Greek (Late) | resembling; like; form or shape of | asteroid, humanoid, ovoid, opioid |
| –ology | Greek (Greek -logia) | study of; body of knowledge | biology, psychology, criminology, theology |
| –ologist | Greek (from -logy) | one who studies or specializes in | biologist, psychologist, lexicologist, cardiologist |
| –ological | Greek (from -ology) | relating to the study or discipline | geological, psychological, mythological, technological |
| –onomy | Greek (from -nomia) | system of rules or knowledge of | astronomy, economy, agronomy, taxonomy |
| –nomic | Greek (from -nomy) | relating to rules, economy, or system | economic, agronomic, taxonomic, gastronomic |
| –onym | Greek (-onym) | name or word; type of name | synonym, antonym, pseudonym, toponym |
| –onymous | Greek (-onymous) | having a name of a specified kind | eponymous, anonymous, pseudonymous, patronymous |
| –ograph | Greek (-ograph) | instrument for recording or writing; record | phonograph, seismograph, lithograph, radiograph |
| –ography | Greek (-ography) | writing about; descriptive study or record | geography, photography, biography, cartography |
| –ographer | Greek (-ographer) | one who records or writes | cinematographer, cartographer, lithographer, biographer |
| –ographic | Greek (-ographic) | pertaining to recording or description | demographic, radiographic, cartographic, orthographic |
| –opathy | Greek (-pathia) | disease, disorder, or treatment system | neuropathy, psychopathy, homeopathy, sociopathy |
| –otomy | Greek/Latin (Greek -tomia) | surgical cutting or incision | lobotomy, tracheotomy, craniotomy, phlebotomy |
| –ostomy | Greek (from stoma) | creating a surgical opening | colostomy, ileostomy, tracheostomy, gastrostomy |
| –opsy | Greek (from opsis) | viewing, examination (medical) | biopsy, autopsy, necropsy, cytopsy |
| –orrhea | Greek (from rhēo) | excessive flow or discharge | diarrhea, rhinorrhea, gonorrhea, menorrhea |
| –orrhagia | Greek (from rhēgnynai) | excessive bleeding; hemorrhage | menorrhagia, metrorrhagia, epistaxis is different |
| –ome | Greek/modern coinage | complete set; mass or collection; swelling | genome, biome, proteome, interactome |
| –omic | Modern (from -ome + -ic) | relating to an -ome or to economics | genomic, proteomic, economic, agronomic |
| –oma | Greek (medical) | tumor; swelling; pathological mass | carcinoma, lipoma, melanoma, glioma |
| –one | Italian/Latin/chemistry | chemical ketone or named compound; hormone ending | testosterone, estrone, progesterone, acetone |
| –ol | International chemical (from alcohol) | alcohol functional group (–OH) in names | ethanol, methanol, glycerol, phenol |
| –ole | Latin/Greek/chemical | small or specific heterocyclic ring; diminutive in chemistry | pyrrole, indole, thiazole, coumarole |
| –ode | Greek (hodos ‘way’) | way; path; component or device name | electrode, diode, anode, cathode |
| –on | Greek (particle names) | particle, element, or noun-forming ending | electron, proton, neutron, Amazon (loan) |
| –ose | Latin/Greek (Lat. -ōsus; chem. sugar) | sugar name ending; “full of” (adjective) in older words | glucose, fructose, verbose, bellicose |
| –otic | Greek (-ōtikos) | relating to a condition, disease, or characteristic | neurotic, psychotic, idiotic, exotoxic? |
| –ory | Latin (-orius) | relating to; place; having function of | sensory, factory, laboratory, compulsory |
| –orium | Latin (-orium) | place or instrument; site for activity | auditorium, sanatorium, emporium, crematorium |
| –oxide | Modern chemical (from oxi- + -ide) | compound containing oxygen; oxide form | carbon monoxide, iron oxide, nitrogen oxide, silicon dioxide |
| –ode (note: poetic homograph) | Greek (hodos ‘way’) | path or way; also used in names of devices | electrode, cathode, anode, diode |
| –odont | Greek (-odont) | tooth; tooth-shaped; dental character | heterodont, selenodont, triconodont, diphyodont |
| –ocracy | Greek (-kratia) | rule or government by a type or class | democracy, technocracy, plutocracy, meritocracy |
| –ocrat | Greek (-krates) | ruler or member of a ruling class | autocrat, technocrat, plutocrat, bureaucrat |
| –ophile | Greek (-philos) | lover of; attracted to or fond of | audiophile, bibliophile, anglophile, thermophile |
| –ophilia | Greek (-philia) | attraction to or affinity for something | bibliophilia, necrophilia, zoophilia, hydrophilia |
| –ophobia | Greek (-phobia) | irrational fear or aversion to something | arachnophobia, xenophobia, claustrophobia, hydrophobia |
Descriptions
–ous
(Latin) Very productive adjective suffix; common in formal and informal English to form descriptive adjectives meaning “full of” or “having”.
–oid
(Greek) Widely used to mean “resembling” or to form class names; common in science, morphology, and everyday coinages.
–ology
(Greek) Extremely productive for naming fields, studies, and branches of knowledge.
–ologist
(Greek) Agentive from -ology; forms professional or specialist titles.
–ological
(Greek) Adjectival form of -ology; broadly used to describe disciplinary relations.
–onomy
(Greek) Names systems, laws, or organized bodies of knowledge; common in sciences and social sciences.
–nomic
(Greek) Adjectival relating to a field’s rules or system; used in technical and general contexts.
–onym
(Greek) Productive for terms about names and word relations.
–onymous
(Greek) Adjectival form indicating naming status; frequent in literary and formal use.
–ograph
(Greek) Forms words for instruments and records; used in technology and art.
–ography
(Greek) Very productive noun-forming suffix for types of writing, study, or mapping.
–ographer
(Greek) Agentive; professional titles and practitioners.
–ographic
(Greek) Adjectival; relates to methods, records, or descriptive practices.
–opathy
(Greek) Medical/clinical suffix indicating disease or therapeutic approach; common in both technical and popular usage.
–otomy
(Greek) Surgical-term suffix indicating cutting procedures; technical and established in medicine.
–ostomy
(Greek) Surgical suffix for making an opening; widely used in clinical contexts.
–opsy
(Greek) Diagnostic/examination suffix found in medical procedures; familiar in everyday language.
–orrhea
(Greek) Medical suffix for abnormal discharge; spelled -orrhea or -rrhea in variants; common in lay and clinical contexts.
–orrhagia
(Greek) Less common medical term for profuse bleeding; mainly clinical and specialized.
–ome
(Modern/Greek) Popular biomedical/biotech suffix for whole systems (the “‑ome”); highly productive in science and media.
–omic
(Modern) Adjectival use from -ome or economy; very productive in scientific adjectives and popular buzzwords.
–oma
(Greek) Standard medical suffix for tumors; extremely common in pathology and clinical vocabularies.
–one
(Chemical/Latin) Widely used in chemistry and endocrinology to name ketones, hormones, and other compounds.
–ol
(Chemical) Standard chemical suffix for alcohols; highly productive in nomenclature.
–ole
(Chemical) Common in organic chemistry for certain ring systems and diminutives; technical register.
–ode
(Greek) Scientific suffix from Greek meaning “way” or “path”; frequent in electronics and chemistry (distinct from poem ‘ode’).
–on
(Greek) Common in naming particles and many nouns; widespread in scientific and general vocabulary.
–ose
(Latin/Chemical) Dual role: carbohydrate names (-ose) in chemistry and adjective-forming “-ose” meaning “full of” in older vocabulary.
–otic
(Greek) Adjectival often linked to medical, psychological, or descriptive states; common in clinical and colloquial use.
–ory
(Latin) Versatile adjectival and nominal suffix for relation, place, or function; common across registers.
–orium
(Latin) Noun-forming for places or instruments; slightly formal or technical register.
–oxide
(Chemical) Chemical nomenclature suffix forming names of oxygen-containing compounds; technical but widely recognized.
–ode (note: poetic homograph)
(Greek) See -ode entry; included to show homograph with poem “ode” but distinct origin and use in science.
–odont
(Greek) Technical combining form in anatomy and paleontology denoting tooth types or arrangements.
–ocracy
(Greek) Political/social suffix naming forms of government or rule; common in analysis and journalism.
–ocrat
(Greek) Agentive for persons holding power or supporting a system; used in politics and commentary.
–ophile
(Greek) Combining form meaning “lover of” or affinity; used for hobbies, fandoms, or biological preferences.
–ophilia
(Greek) Denotes attraction or affinity; used in psychology, biology, and colloquial labels (sometimes clinical).
–ophobia
(Greek) Very common suffix for fears or aversions; ranges from clinical to colloquial usage.